A Morecambe landlord has been fined for breaching fire safety regulations at one of his rental properties.
When Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) inspected the property in June 2013 they discovered that better fire precautions were needed and that the emergency lighting wasn’t maintained.
They issued an Enforcement Notice and the landlord subsequently pleaded guilty to two offences under the Regulatory Reform Order at Preston Crown Court on Monday (19 January). He was fined £10,500 and ordered to pay £12,000 in costs to the fire service.
Tony Crook, Group Manager of LFRS, said: “Mr Zohar is a landlord of a large number of properties in the Morecambe area, and as such has a duty to ensure that his tenants are provided a safe environment. We hope that this prosecution will ensure that the standard of his properties are kept within the requirements of the law.
“In our constant drive to make Lancashire safer, LFRS fire safety enforcement teams are actively seeking out such premises. We would hope that the outcome of this particular case sends a clear message that fire safety is a priority issue that should always be addressed before tenants or guests are accommodated.
“In this instance, the consequences of the inadequate fire safety measures and inadequate management could have led to serious injury or loss of life and circumstances left us no option but to take this action.”
Original source
Commercial buildings, non-domestic and multi-occupancy premises in England and Wales are already forced to undertake a ‘suitable and sufficient’ fire risk assessment carried out under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
While the overwhelming majority of premises do this, if the assessment is thought to have been carried out to an insufficient extent, the Responsible Person can face an unlimited fine or up to two years in prison.